Danny Tartabull

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The Yankees took a 2-0 lead in the first against Rick Sutcliffe (9-10) when Dion James and Don Mattingly singled before Danny Tartabull hit a two-run double. Harold Baines' 19th homer made it 2-1 in the second, but the Yankees pulled away in the third. With two out, Tartabull was hit by a pitch and Mike Stanley doubled. Jim Leyritz then lined his 14th homer deep into the left-field seats. It was his second three-run homer in as many days. Sutcliffe lasted five innings, allowing seven hits and striking out six. He is 1-8 since June 23. Scott Kamieniecki (10-7)

Jimmy Key outpitched Mark Langston in a matchup of All-Star left-handers, and Danny Tartabull hit a go-head homer in the eighth. Despite going 2-6 on their West Coast trip, the Yankees moved within one game of struggling first-place Toronto in the AL East. Key (11-2) recorded his third complete game with six strikeouts and one walk in his first appearance at Anaheim Stadium since his one-hit shutout on April 27. He has a good chance to start Tuesday night for the AL All-Stars.

Danny Tartabull hit a three-run homer and Jimmy Key lowered his ERA to 2.17 with six scoreless innings. "I'm not here to win batting titles," said Tartabull, who hit a 455-foot first-inning home run. "I'm here to hit home runs and drive in runs," Tartabull said after hitting his eighth homer this season, but his first at Yankee Stadium. Tartabull's homer came off left-hander Eddie Guardado (0-1) and followed a one-out double by Wade Boggs and a walk to Don Mattingly. "He's the one legitimate home run hitter in our lineup and we need him in there every day," said Key (8-2)

After Danny Tartabull went 0 for 4 Friday, dropping his batting average to .091, Sox manager Terry Bevington said he plans to rest him Saturday or Sunday and then return him to the lineup. Basically, Bevington said, he'll stick to a set lineup. But he stressed the need for contributions from non-starters when they get their chances. "You can't change the lineup every week. The club spent the off-season getting the players it wanted. But you can't win with just 25 players either.

Friday's press notes listed the White Sox's Saturday starter as "Undecided"-but with a 2-5 record and a 5.57 earned-run average. Those numbers are suspiciously identical to Richard Dotson's. Dotson was to be signed before he starts Saturday night against the Royals. - Kansas City, like everyone else, is looking for pitching. Manager John Wathan wouldn`t say whether the club was interested in Sox left-hander Jerry Reuss, but he wouldn`t discount the possibility of picking up a veteran for the stretch run. "You always want to catch lightning in a bottle," he said.

So Sammy Sosa has taken his 133 strikeouts with him to Baltimore. And the Cubs replace him with free-swinging Jeromy Burnitz, who struck out 124 times in 2004 with the Colorado Rockies. Someone please help me with this logic. I'm sure Derrek Lee (128 K's in 2004) and Corey Patterson (168) will welcome him to the middle of the order. Burnitz's lowest strikeout total since 1998 was 121, his highest 158. Were the Cubs watching when Burnitz faced them last season? Here's how he fared: 3-for-23, all singles, with two RBIs and six strikeouts.

How many legitimate All-Star candidates do the White Sox have? Manager Terry Bevington names five, starting with Frank Thomas and Harold Baines. "Then there's Ray Durham, Tony Phillips and Roberto Hernandez," Bevington said. But he wonders how many Cleveland players will make the American League team, considering that the Indians' attendance has been much higher than the Sox's. What Bevington would change if he could is the rule that every team must be represented. "Either you're an All-Star or you're not," he said.

Danny Tartabull, whose average dropped to .221 after he went 1 for 13 in Boston, was on the bench Friday against right-hander Scott Erickson. Dave Martinez, who hit .450 in May, took Tartabull's spot. But one player who also deserves more at-bats is Lyle Mouton, who's batting .309 in 16 starts and has come up with several clutch hits. Mouton hit .302 last year playing against both left-handers and right-handers, but he has seldom had a chance to hit against righties in '96 and sits while Tartabull slumps.

Not even Frank Thomas' booming black bat could save the White Sox this time. After hitting his 40th home run in the first inning, Thomas went down swinging with two on and two out in the seventh inning and the Sox fell to Minnesota 4-3 Saturday at Comiskey Park. Thomas, who has bashed eight homers in his last seven games, said Twins reliever Mike Trombley got him on a changeup. "He hung a slow curve and I missed it," said Thomas. "I got a little too cute. I should have been focusing on hitting the ball down the middle.

Consider it parole. RATE THIS Nearly 4,000 adults and youngsters older than 13 were asked to rate 84 top celebrity athletes on their effectiveness as endorsers. In astonishing news, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal would be the best, while, whoa, what a stunner, O.J. Simpson and Tonya Harding would be the worst endorsers. Oh, sure. Now they tell Bruno Magli. MONEY PITCHER Philadelphia GM Lee Thomas said the Phillies are done talking with former White Sox outfielder Danny Tartabull after he turned down their offer of $2 million plus incentives.